On-Site vs. Off-Site

[Queen2PrincessG]

on site! Especially because you wont have a car. If you're going mod I would say POFQ or Riverside.

 

[mieuxmew]

A few more thoughts...

Disney transportation system is seriously bigger and better than most cities public transportation!! Buses, boats and monorails run CONSTANTLY well past park closing! No schedule is needed. Most of the time you just go to the stop and wait only a few minutes. Almost all offsite Disney transportation has a schedule...you must know the schedule! Often busses are shared with many other hotels. The last bus may pick up before parks even close! In other words - offsite transportation is often complicated and stressful.

Look for discounts! AAA members get a small discount. Sometimes Disney runs promos, too. If you should happen to find some pixie dust and can get a great rate at ANY deluxe onsite...go for it ;-) Sending some pixie dust your way

 

[DizDaD7]

Same as most have stated here. I'm in the side of Staying onsite as well.

Done them both & 1 of our first trips as a full family, back in2006 it was me ,DW, DD, Ds DFiL, DMiL, DSiL DBiL & nephew. so 9 total. We rented a beautiful house roughly 10 minutes away in Kissimmee. 4 car garage, 4 bedroom, 3 bathrooms, Full kitchen ,w/ breakfast nook, ,Dr, GR,LR,& Screened in lanai w/ pool, all overlooking a very nice lagoon.

Pros: Price---$775
Room--- A ton of space
Pool--- Private
Food--- Full Kitchen. $$ saved due to breakfast at home & dinners.
Laundry room---ght at yer fingertips
Entertainment---DVD players, & 4 tv's

Cons: Pool--- I have it for both because I actually like the crowds to mingle with at the resorts.& for our kids to make friends with
Food--- Have it here as well because I don't want to have to cook, nor my wife..ADR's---Huge plus
Transportation---Having tp pack up n leave when 1 person out of the 9 wants to go home. Also If you want to go back at night, trying to find a decent spot AGAIN.

Staying on property:
Cons: ( 0 )

Pros: PoolMuch bigger than the houses, & much more elaborate than the other offsite resorts.
Theme All of the onsite resorts are decorated & get you full immersed in the whole Disney experience.
Transportation Nothing like coming & going as you please, w/out the hassle of driving. Also hop on the monorail or boats too.
EMH's Whether it's that x-tra hour b4 the general public gets in or the x tra 2 hours after the park closes...Well worth it.
Shopping As pp stated shop all u want while at a park & not have the hassle of lugging around ll the things you bought. Just have them sent back to your resort room.
DME Nothing like giving your bags to the airlines at your home airport & not seeing them again till in your room at your Disney resort, or When checking out & not having to worry about lugging them to the Orlando airport either.

I'm sure there are more ,but I'm drawing a blank at the moment

 

[DizDaD7]

Out of all the mods Definitely would rate them like this & why:
1, CSR
2, POR
3POFQ
4, CBR
But between the 2 top ones it's close. I'll rate just those two

Pool : edge goes to CSR over POR...3rd best Main pool outta all resorts IMHO
Bus : CSR again You'll never wait for a 2nd bus nor will you have to stand..The convention resort that it is never packs up with as many families as some of the orther resorts. POR has the Boats to DTD though huge plus there, but there bus system to me was worse than PoP.. Especially returning from a park..And forget from Fantasmic show...YIKes.
Food: CSR slight edge here. QS/Food court Pepper MArket is better than the waits at the POR food court. ALthough the food is even, the non waiting to sit at PM is way better. T/S Restaurant. Slight edge to POR Boatwrights of Maya Grill
Lounge: Both are good but edge goes to POR...Yeehaw Bobs is hilarious..
Rooms : It's probably a push on thios one. Both are upgraded & have nice decor, ANd Queen Size beds
Theming : Although both are very nice I enjoyed CSR a slight bit better. POR is very very nice though..

Either one you choose, I'm sure you'll be happy..Remember you're in Disney, It doesn't really matter, Does it.?

 

[disnut8]

My family and I have always stayed offsite- it's much cheaper but you do need to rent a car!

We always stay in Kissimmee where it's no more then 10-15 mins to Disney so not a long trip. Some people talk about the $15 parking fee..well you'll probably save more then that staying offsite.

I'll probably get flamed for this, but just giving my 2 pence Whichever you'll do, you'll have a amazing holiday! We've always had plenty of magic even offsite!

Very sound advice with everything and no flames at all. We've stayed offsite and will do that again over Thanksgiving. The only thing I don't agree with is the $15 parking charge you mentioned. I find it's worth the $15 of my time (twice a day if not more) to just take Disney's transportation. And my husband, the ultimate cheapskate, had the option for next month of staying offsite and driving in each day or just doing a discounted rate at Disney. His words were "well, if we have to drive in every day, I'd prefer staying onsite".

 

[WizardLarz]

I can't really remember the first visit which was off site, but the next & last was in 2000, although we had a rental some of our party used the Motel's shuttle and we found that there was no return at Mid-day, only several pick-ups starting after 8pm.

Although I've have drive down several times starting in 2008 once on Property I've let Disney do the driving. With a car I only used it once or twice during a 7 or 10 day trip.

The only Value I've done is Pop, no complaints. I'm thinking of doing a Moderate here is May (1st Star Wars Weekend) and if I do I'm doing Port Orleans French Quarter, for its complact layout as compared to the other moderate resorts.

Coming in October you will be there for the Food & Wine Festival, so be prepared for a lot of good eats.

 

[Amy&Dan]

We are onsite all the way. We like not having to rent a car (Magical Express is a huge perk for us), we like the fact that we feel safe having our two teenagers go off on their own a bit using Disney transporation, we like to get the Disney Dining Plan, we enjoy the various themes of Disney resorts, and we just enjoy being inside the magic the entire time.

When I think offsite is hard to beat is for larger families, people who drive to Florida and don't need to rent a car, and if you want to do other attractions such as Universal and Sea World (although we have done both of those when we stayed onsite and it was quite easy).

We love the moderates, having stayed at all levels of Disney resorts, we have found them to be the perfect combination of decent price and resort amenities. Be sure to check out www.allearsnet.com for slideshows, reviews and videos of each resort.

 

[shalom]

What are the advantages of staying On-Site?

Magical Express (i.e., transportation from the airport)
Onsite transportation
Extra Magic Hours (although if you don't have park hoppers then you're committing to the park that will be busiest all day, and if you don't like getting up early not as big a deal)
Access to the Dining Deals (there's a thread on the dining board with people figuring out how to eat on the same budget without the dining deal, and with more flexibility)

You might also post to the "Orlando Hotels and Attractions" for the advantages of staying off-site. As has been said, even a lot of off-siters in your position would prefer onsite. You're right in the "sweet spot" where staying onsite is often cheaper, but if money is a concern checking offsite options is worth doing. The only offsite place I know of with anything even approaching the transportation services of onsite is Bonnet Creek; their schedule offers way more than my family needs, the only real "hole" is if you want to head home in the early afternoon (although some people have requested an unscheduled ride back with the guys bringing people *to* the park and gotten on with no problem). I know the hotel portion of that is finished but as a TSer I don't know much about it; if you posted to the Orlando board someone one else might.

I do know that if you stay at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek hotel you have access to all the resort pools, meaning you have the option of two lazy rivers, which is something you can't really get onsite (the "lazy river" at Storm Along Bay is short, non-scenic, and they don't supply tubes ). But if lazy rivers aren't your thing, then onsite pools are cooler than most offsite options. And if you're going moderate, a lot of people consider the pool at Coronado Springs the best pool going, better even than Storm Along Bay!

 

[WLSILVERCREEKSPRINGS]

There's nothing like being immersed in the magic 24/7, would never stay off site again

 

[LaurenT]

I stay on and off site - just depends on the particular trip.
For you, since it's just 2 of you and you won't have a car, I recommend getting a Disney moderate if it's in your budget. You'll be splitting the cost, you'll have the advantage of Disney transport (the shuttle from an offsite place is usually restrictive) and, as two grown ups without little ones, you'll be able to make the most of the Evening Extra Magic Hours offered to on site guests. Another option is the Dolphin/Swan - which has most of the on site amenities - including EMH and park transportation.

 

[tink1953]

WARNING

if you stay at a Disney Resort you will never stay offsite again LOL

they spoil you with Disney magic you will never want to stay anywhere else.....why would you?
They pick you up and take you to your resort, take care of your luggage, then they also transport you to all the parks and sometimes you eat free also...you might pay more per night but you won't have to rent a car because you won't need one...

we have stayed on and off site....now my husband says he will never stay off site again that he is spoiled and wants it all


for true all inclusive magical time you have to stay at a Disney resort...and your in luck a new one has just opened Art of Animation..if you can move your date up to late Sept you can get free dining...

'sorry if I repeated posts...

BArb

 

[tbaptista]

Did onsite this year POFQ! Great resort but never had the bubble experience, than again we didn't spend much time at the resort. Pretty much woke up, got ready, walked to car in parking lot (right outside our door). Than got home walked from car to room and went to bed. Never even saw a CM other than check-in..

Next time we are renting a house which will probably add 10 minutes to the park commute. We drive to WDW so no rental car is needed.

Just look forward to having my own private room and pool. Nothing like having a glass of wine with the DW in the pool after a long day at the parks..

P